MD Anderson doctor convicted of assault in poisoning of colleague

Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, right, with defense attorney Derek Hollingsworth before her sentencing of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine in the 248th District Court at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Monday, Sept. 29, 2014, in Houston. Dr. Gonzalez-Angulo, was convicted for a felony charge of aggravated assault, was charged in May 2013 with poisoning Dr. George Blumenschein. Judge Katherine Cabaniss is presiding over the case. less

Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, right, with defense attorney Derek Hollingsworth before her sentencing of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine in the 248th District Court at the Harris County Criminal Justice ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, right, with defense attorney Derek Hollingsworth before her sentencing of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine in the 248th District Court at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Monday, Sept. 29, 2014, in Houston. Dr. Gonzalez-Angulo, was convicted for a felony charge of aggravated assault, was charged in May 2013 with poisoning Dr. George Blumenschein. Judge Katherine Cabaniss is presiding over the case. less

Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, right, with defense attorney Derek Hollingsworth before her sentencing of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine in the 248th District Court at the Harris County Criminal Justice ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

MD Anderson doctor convicted of assault in poisoning of colleague

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An MD Anderson doctor poisoned her lover and colleague, jurors determined on Friday, finding her guilty of assault in a trial that revealed sordid details about a love triangle involving physicians at the world famous institution.

The jurors discounted claims by defense attorneys for Ana Gonzalez-Angulo, who said someone else poisoned Dr. George Blumenschein, her partner who became her paramour behind the back of his longtime girlfriend.

The jurors reached their decision at about 11 a.m. after deliberating four hours over two days. The trial is now in the punishment phase, which will continue on Monday. The breast cancer oncologist faces a maximum of life in prison.

The guilty verdict brought no visual response from Gonzalez-Angulo, standing at the defense table wearing a gray suit.

Prosecutors said she laced Blumenschein' coffee with ethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting toxic chemical that sent him to the hospital on Jan. 27, 2013.

Earlier that day, Blumenschein and Gonzalez-Angulo had met at her home and had sex before going to work together.

Blumenschein testified Gonzalez-Angulo served him a travel mug of coffee he called "sickeningly sweet." He usually drinks his coffee black. He testified that Gonzalez-Angulo put the cup to her lips, but he was not sure she drank anything.

Dr. George Blumenschein praised the jurors' verdict Friday. "I'm pleased to see that justice has been served," he testified during the punishment phase.

Blumeschein testified that he had been a "foodie" before being poisoned, going to new Houston restaurants at least weekly.

"I used to eat everything under the sun," the 50-year-old doctor said. He testified the damage to his kidneys turned him into a vegetarian, against his will.

Blumenschein's voice caught as he testified that he plans to spend the next decade building a nest egg "in case I'm not here."

"I'm very cognizant of the fact that my life span has been shortened," he said. He noted that he can no longer take the sort of maintenance drugs that sustain people long after retirement.

The medical researcher and clinician said he has now seen a hospital bed from both sides.

"I have a more nuanced understanding of what my patients are going through," he said.

Jurors convicted Gonzalez-Angulo of assault of a family member, a first-degree felony that puts the range of punishment between five years and life in prison. That charge is based on the same law that punishes people more seriously in domestic violence cases.

Besides acquittal, they also could have decided Gonzalez-Angulo and Blumenschein did not have "a dating relationship," and convicted her of assault, a second-degree felony with a punishment range of two to 20 years.